Xu Zhengyu: The growth opportunities between Malaysia and Hong Kong are very significant.

On July 23, before ending his visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of Hong Kong, Christopher Hui, attended a signing ceremony with representatives from Hong Kong's financial and accounting regulatory bodies to enhance cooperation in financial and accounting regulation. Hui believes that there are significant growth opportunities between Malaysia and Hong Kong. Amid escalating global uncertainties, Hong Kong remains committed to building a diverse ecosystem of asset products. Strengthening connectivity between the markets of Hong Kong and Malaysia, including enhancing cooperation between financial regulatory bodies, will be a key strategic focus in attracting global capital to Asia. The focus of the signing ceremony was a cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong and the Securities Commission of Malaysia, outlining the framework for mutual recognition of funds and cross-listing of stocks in both markets. At the ceremony, the Hong Kong Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau also signed a cooperation MoU with the Securities Commission of Malaysia, formally establishing a strategic partnership to enhance cross-border regulatory cooperation in auditing supervision and compliance with financial reporting between Hong Kong and Malaysia, thereby effectively protecting investors and enhancing public confidence in auditing and financial reporting. Additionally, the Malaysia Stock Exchange was presented with a certificate at the ceremony, confirming its status as an approved securities exchange of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX), meaning companies listed primarily on the main market of the Malaysia Stock Exchange can apply for a secondary listing in Hong Kong. Hui stated, "These MoUs mark a significant step forward in substantive regulatory cooperation with Malaysia to provide more choices for investors in both markets to broaden their cross-border investment channels. This also demonstrates the commitment to promoting the development of Asian markets through enhanced connectivity, rigorous regulatory standards, and improved investor protection." The final event of the four-day visit was a meeting with the Chief Financial Officer of Yitai Investment Group, Zheng Manhui. The company is actively exploring a dual listing in Hong Kong to expand its reach to global and mainland Chinese investors. Hui mentioned that HKEX has simplified the listing requirements for overseas issuers, adopting a consistent set of core shareholder protection standards for all issuers and publishing more guidelines to assist overseas companies interested in listing in Hong Kong. With the Malaysia Stock Exchange now recognized by HKEX, Hong Kong is an ideal platform for Malaysian companies to attract global and mainland capital and expand their global market reach.